Please note that the techniques summarised below may not necessarily be identical or capture all that was taught in class.

Nage-waza (throwing technique):

Ashi guruma (leg wheel) and o guruma (big wheel) throws were demonstrated. Both ashi guruma and o guruma are leg techniques (ashi-waza), which are often confused with hip techniques (koshi-waza) and other superficially similar throws. Some points covered in class were:

Like most guruma techniques, ashi guruma and o guruma function by providing a mostly fixed pivot point around which uke rotates. Consequently, there should be no or little back sweep of the leg like in harai goshi (sweeping hip throw).

Tori‘s entry must offset him/herself to uke‘s side rather than remain in front of uke. That is, in order for uke to make contact with the leg pivot point, tori‘s body must not be in the way.

Twisting of the upper body finishes the throw, rather than something like sweeping back with the leg. While this may seem weak, this is not the case as Nick Ring demonstrates in the below gif. Note how the above points apply to his masterful application of o guruma, with only one grip and in a no-gi situation no less.

Please note that the techniques summarised below may not necessarily be identical or capture all that was taught in class.

Nage-waza (throwing technique):

Following last class, tai otoshi (body drop throw) was again demonstrated but with an angled projection of uke rather than straight forwards. Consequently, the kuzushi (unbalancing) with the lapel grip has a more characteristic hooking or arcing motion to pull uke off at an angle, rather than a forward pulling motion of the lapel grip thumb to the ear like with last class’s tai otoshi. Both variations of tai otoshi are covered in the video below:

As a complement, yoko guruma (side wheeling throw) was demonstrated as a counter to tai otoshi.

Please note that the techniques summarised below may not necessarily be identical or capture all that was taught in class.

Nage-waza (throwing technique):

Tai otoshi (body drop) was demonstrated in class. Tai otoshi exemplifies the hand techniques (te-waza), as most of the power for the throw comes from the arms. The main points emphasised in class were:

Weight distribution

Nicholas Gill, Canadian Olympic medallist, demonstrates the difference between good and bad weight distribution between legs, in terms of spacing between tori and uke and concomitant ability to apply pushing power with the arms. Good weight distribution should be approximately 50-50 on each leg.

Posture

The posture for tai otoshi is fairly straight upwards. A bent posture tends to throw weight distribution off and/or disrupt arm position and action, which sometimes leads people to try wraparound sacrifice throws (makikomi) to salvage their entry.

Positioning

It is difficult to apply tai otoshi right in front of uke, in part because the power arm (lapel grip or tsuri te) will be behind one’s ear and thus be out of position to apply a pushing force. It is better to be slightly off-centre to uke‘s left (if applying the throw as a right-hander).

Unbalancing (kuzushi)

Kuzushi, while important for all throws, is especially important for tai otoshi because unlike many other throws, force generation for tai otoshi mostly comes from the arms (as opposed to the legs and core). Arms by themselves are weak. Thus, one must maximise all the unbalancing possible by correctly drawing uke off-balance with the sleeve grip (hiki te) and the lapel grip (tsuri te) in tandem.

Ne-waza (ground technique)

A fundamental movement in grappling, whether it be wrestling or Brazilian jiu jitsu or judo, is the sit-out. The sit-out can improve an inferior position like the turtle, and even give one a dominant position over uke. While not comprehensive, here are some things one can do with a sit-out:

Please note that the techniques summarised below may not necessarily be identical or capture all that was taught in class.

Nage-waza (throwing technique):

Continuing on the theme of counters, ushiro goshi or the rear hip throw was demonstrated. This is a hip throw used to counter forward throws such as hane goshi (springing hip throw). The main tips to keep in mind are to:

Keep one’s hips below uke. Like some other hip throws, force is applied through the hip and pelvic region to bump uke into the air in ushiro goshi. This also means that tori should bend his/her knees.

Grab around or below the waist. Like choking up on a baseball bat, one does not get the same power if one grabs around high around uke‘s torso.

Keep your back relatively erect. Like almost all judo throws, power comes from the legs and is transmitted through the body; bending over at the waist makes such power transmission inefficient. Like weightlifters, whose sport is entirely about lifting heavy things, bending at the knees is a better option for changing levels than bending at the waist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_2mR7mGG10

Ne-waza (ground technique)

Two variations of sankaku jime (triangle choke) from the turtle position was demonstrated. There are innumerable ways of strangling someone with one’s legs, but some points to consider are angle and placement of legs. The two videos below are not exactly what was demonstrated, but fairly close.

Please note that the techniques summarised below may not necessarily be identical or capture all that was taught in class.

Nage-waza (throwing technique):

Again continuing on the gaeshi techniques of the shinmeisho no waza (see also o-soto gaeshi, o-uchi gaeshi), ko-uchi gaeshi (small inner reversal) was demonstrated, specifically this variation:

Like many other gaeshi or reversal techniques, ko-uchi gaeshi manipulates and takes advantage of uke‘s committed momentum in executing ko-uchi gari (which can be a powerful technique in its own right!).

Please note that the techniques summarised below may not necessarily be identical or capture all that was taught in class.

Nage-waza (throwing technique):

Kata guruma, the shoulder wheel throw, was demonstrated. This throw was developed and introduced by Jigoro Kano into the judo curriculum after he saw the technique in a wrestling manual– kata guruma is also known as the fireman’s carry. Although kata guruma is not applicable in current competition rules, learning the technique is important for well-roundedness as kata guruma has an important niche in judo pedagogy.

Like most “wheeling” techniques like hiza guruma (knee wheel), ashi guruma (leg wheel), and o guruma (big wheel), kata guruma depends on creating a more-or-less fixed pivot point around which the receiver of the technique (uke) rotates around. In the case of kata guruma, this pivot is the shoulder. The classical way of doing kata guruma is the first technique shown in the below video:

However, while kata guruma is classified as a hand technique (te waza), the variation of kata guruma demonstrated in class was more of a side sacrifice (yoko sutemi) variation like in the videos below:

Important tips to keep in mind:

Close the gap. If there is distance between tori and uke, the unbalancing applied throughout the technique must first pull out the slack rather than having uke being immediately pulled off-balance as tori moves.

Do not change levels by bending at the waist. Like most judo throws, bending at the knees to position oneself below uke‘s centre-of-gravity allows tori to push off the ground with her/his legs and engage their whole body to complete the throw, much like how weightlifters have an erect posture to best efficiently apply lifts.

Similar to the second point, make sure one changes level sufficiently. If tori is not below uke‘s centre-of-gravity, the throw is much harder to complete and is hardly keeping with “maximum efficiency”. A good rule of thumb to change levels is to put one’s ear by uke‘s hip or belt.

Like many side sacrifice techniques, falling along one’s side rather than one’s back and following through by shoulder bridging helps refine the technique.

Ne-waza (ground technique)

Ude-hishigi waki gatame, often shortened to waki gatame, is the armpit armlock. The first variation demonstrated was a counter as uke reaches across to frame the neck or pursue a kuzure kesa gatame (modified “scarf” hold) escape. Notice how in the below video, tori clamps around uke‘s elbow with his armpit, then pulls uke onto his stomach and pulls up at the wrist to apply the armlock.

The second variation of waki gatame shown was one where uke attacks a turtled tori head on, and tori clamps the arm and sits out to apply the armlock. Notice how tori clamps above uke‘s elbow to prevent uke from bending or pulling out the arm.

Please note that the techniques summarised below may not necessarily be identical or capture all that was taught in class.

Nage-waza (throwing technique):

Continuing on the newly accepted techniques theme (shinmeisho no waza) from o-soto gaeshi, o-uchi gaeshi (large inner reversal) was demonstrated this class. It is similar in principle to o-soto gaeshi in creating an angle to counter uke.

Please note that the techniques summarised below may not necessarily be identical or capture all that was taught in class.

Nage-waza (throwing technique):

Utsuri goshi, the switching hip throw, was demonstrated. This is a counter hip throw that starts when tori blocks uke‘s forward throw by pushing in the hips. In competition, in response to current iteration of rules, this throw has become a popular counter option as demonstrated by the image of Kayla Harrison (USA) below.

Classically, the throw is done like in the first clip below, but it is often more effective to draw a leg back and angle one’s hips as in the second clip. Any way one does utsuri goshi, it is still a hip throw and consequently a “hip bump” is still needed to throw uke.

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